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Longitudinal Design for Sonographic Measurement of Median Nerve Swelling with Controlled Exposure to Physical Work Using an Animal Model

  • Shawn C. Roll
  • , Kevin D. Evans
  • , Kevin R. Volz
  • , Carolyn M. Sommerich

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In the study described here, we examined the feasibility of a longitudinal design to measure sonographically swelling of the median nerve caused by controlled exposure to a work task and to evaluate the relationship of changes in morphology to diagnostic standards. Fifteen macaques, Macaca fascicularis, pinched a lever in various wrist positions at a self-regulated pace (8 h/d, 5 d/wk, 18-20 wk). Nerve conduction velocity (NCV) and cross-sectional area (CSA) were measured every 2 wk from baseline through working and a 6-wk recovery. Trending across all subjects revealed that NCV slowed and CSA at the carpal tunnel increased in the working arm, whereas no changes were observed in CSA either at the forearm or for any measure in the non-working arm. There was a small negative correlation between NCV and CSA in the working arm. This study provides validation that swelling can be observed using a longitudinal design. Longitudinal human studies are needed to describe the trajectory of nerve swelling for early identification of median nerve pathology.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2492-2497
Number of pages6
JournalUltrasound in Medicine and Biology
Volume39
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2013

Keywords

  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Median mononeuropathy
  • Sonography

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